Stocks knocked by earnings reality check; dollar firm
By Amanda Cooper
LONDON (Reuters) -Global stocks fell on Wednesday after gloomy results from European heavyweights LVMH and tech company ASML (AS:ASML ) dented sentiment, while the dollar gained as investors banked on a more moderate decline in U.S. interest rates.
Investors have grown increasingly likely to punish shares for earnings misses and Wednesday was no exception in Europe.
ASML, whose customers include TSMC and Samsung (KS:005930 ), delivered a gloomy sales forecast for 2025 on Tuesday, saying the semiconductor market beyond AI has been weaker for longer than expected. Its shares fell by the most in nearly 30 years in late trading and sank another 2.5% on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, shares in LVMH, considered a play on the Chinese consumer almost more than anything else, tumbled by the most in a year after reporting weaker than expected third-quarter sales. With the optimism over China's recent stimulus measures quickly waning, the results were not what investors wanted to see, leaving Paris' CAC 40 down 0.5% and the STOXX 600 down 0.2%.
A Bloomberg News report overnight that U.S. officials have been considering implementing a cap on export licences for AI chips to specific countries added to pressure on the chip sector. It left indices in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea - all home to major chip firms - down 1.7%, 1.2% and 0.6% respectively. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA ) shares were up around 0.5% in the premarket, having slid over 5% after hours.
S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were flat, pointing to a more stable open on Wall Street later, after Tuesday's declines in the major indices.
Pepperstone market strategist Michael Brown said dips could prove to be good buying opportunities.
"Providing that banks prove a reliable barometer for earnings season more broadly, solid earnings growth, coupled with resilient economic growth, should continue to power the market higher. This is particularly the case with the forceful Fed put providing additional confidence allowing participants to remain further out the risk curve," he said.
With stocks within a whisker of record highs and valuations looking pricey, analysts said there was plenty of scope for volatility, not least because of the political backdrop.
Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index, said investors are likely questioning how exposed to risk they really want to be, given there are risk events and a U.S. election looming on Nov. 5.
"I expect investors to become increasingly twitchy as we head towards November 5th, and keen (to) book profits at frothy levels."
RISING DOLLAR
On the macro side, data earlier on Wednesday showed British inflation slowed more than expected last month, cementing expectations for the Bank of England to cut rates at least once, if not twice, this year.
The pound fell below $1.30 for the first time in two months, to $1.3032, while UK stocks got a lift, pushing the FTSE 100 up 0.7% on the day.
The outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy is at the heart of the strength in the dollar right now.
Traders are pricing in around 46 basis points (bps) of rate cuts this year. Less than a month ago, after the Fed lowered rates by half a point, the expectation was for nearly 80 bps in cuts.
As a result, the dollar has surged in recent weeks, with the U.S. dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six others, at 103.23, near its highest since early August.
The euro traded around two-month lows and was last at $1.08945 ahead of the European Central Bank policy meeting on Thursday, at which the central bank is largely expected to cut rates again.
Oil prices extended the previous day's 5% drop, as investors contend with uncertainty around the conflict in the Middle East and what it means for global supply. [O/R]
Brent crude oil futures fell 0.6% to $73.78 a barrel, while U.S. futures lost 0.7% to trade at $70.12.
Source: Investing.com
